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Feb. 21, 1956 H. BAMMANN 2,735,549

SAND AND STONE INTERCEPTING MEANS FOR BEET-FLOATING TROUGHS Filed July 1e, 195s United States Patent O SAND AND STONE INTERCEPTING MEANS FOR BEET-FLOATING TROUGHS Heinrich Bammann, Muelheim-on-Ruhr, Germany Application July 16, 1953, Serial No. 368,253

Claims priority, application Germany July 18, 1952 2 Claims. (Cl. 209-454) This invention relates to flotation troughs serving to convey beet and has for an object to provide improved means for removing the stones carried along aud the sand, in order to avoid damage to machines during the working-up of the beet.

A further object is to provide means which effect the removal of sand and stones continuously, since the stream of beet must flow continuously to the place of workingup.

The invention thus relates to a sand and stone interceptor for beet oating troughs, which comprises a receptacle enveloping a section of the flotation trough, through which container water ows up to the height of the water level in the floating trough, and of a otation trough section within the receptacle which section has a bottom constructed in funnel shape. ln front of the free funnel opening, which opens into the receptacle, a ring of nozzles is arranged to supply to the funnel water or air in an adjustable quantity and with adjustable pressure. Means are also provided by which the stones settling out of the trough through the funnel are regularly removed from the same, said means comprising, for example, a bucket chain. The flotation trough section inside the receptacle is preferably provided with perforated side walls in order to neutralise water impacts in the trough occurring, e. g. at the initial feed of water into the trough. In the absence of such perforated side walls, it could happen that stones are taken along with the oating beets. The pressure of the air or water fed to the nozzles and the quantities thereof are so adjusted that a lift is present as powerful as the downward drift of the beet, but that on the other hand heavier particles such as stones will settle downwardly in spite of this lift, through the open bottom of the trough.

At the end of the open bottom section of the trough in the direction of otation of the beet, a weir is preferably arranged which dams the dotation transport movement in the trough, thereby increasing the settling time for stones and sand, and which also in connection with a slide valve can be used for the adjustment of the lift. Moreover, the stone interceptor bottom may be closed up by the slide.

Furthermore, it is possible by mutual displacement of the two parts of the perforated double walls of the trough, to close or open the apertures in the side walls of the trough section inside the stone interceptor so that the floating trough according to the invention, may, when desired, be operated in such a manner as if no stone interceptor were incorporated.

On the drawing there is represented, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is an elevation in longitudinal section of a oating trough equipped with a sand and stone interceptor. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken at 90 thereto.

In the trough 1 beet, e. g. sugar beet are floated in the usual manner with the help of water in the direction of the arrow.

In the material to be ioated, sand and stones are present, which must be removed in order to reduce wear of ice and damage to the apparatus in the factory. For this reason a sand and stone interceptor 20 is connected with the trough 1, the housing of this interceptor forming a receptacle enclosing a section of the trough. That stone interceptor 20 comprises double side walls 11, consisting of two adjacent plates adapted to be displaced against each other. Perforations or holes 11a provided in said plates may be closed or opened by altering the relative position of the adjacent double Wall plates 11. Actuating means for the relative movement of the adjacent plates are shown, as an example, in the drawing, said means consisting of a lever 18 arranged on the upper outer side of the interceptor and of connecting links 18a, 18h, acting on the upper part of one of the adjacent perforated panels of the double side walls. As mentioned heretofor, the side walls 11 serve as a pressure-equalizer. By opening or closing holes 113v it will be possible to operate the floating trough according to this invention as desired. It will even be possible to operate the floating trough in a manner, as if no stone interceptor at all were incorporated in the device.

The bottom 8 of the trough section inside the stone interceptor is open and replaced by a funnel 4 provided in front of its free funnel opening with an annular conduit 7 having nozzle apertures 3, through which air or water from an air or water pipe 2, is forced with such pressure and in such quantity into the funnel 4 in opposition to the downward movement of the material to be floated that the beet will ioat on without settling down in the funnel 4 but the accompanying stones and the sand will move down through the funnel and reach the scooping trough 20a of the housing.

The stones and the sand are scooped out of this scooping trough by the buckets 5 of an endless bucket chain from which they are dumped when moving over the reversing roller 14 to be removed through the chute 15.

A weir 8 is provided at the end of the bottom aperture in the trough to effect damming of the flow in order to ensure the removal of all stones and of the sand. Connected with the Weir 8 is a slide 21 which makes it possible for the size of the bottom aperture in the trough to be adjusted as desired by means of the levers 9 to vary the lift in the sand and stone interceptor, or to close said aperture altogether. 14 and 16 are sprocket wheels for the bucket chain.

I claim:

1. A sand and stone interceptor for beet flotation troughs comprising in combination with a receptacle for said sand and stones arranged below an open trough bottom section and with means therein for producing an upward propulsion, a housing in said portion of the trough above said receptacle, formed by a part of the latter projecting into said trough, perforated double walls within said housing serving as a pressure equalizing means, each wall consisting of two slidable panels for displacement with respect to one another, and a weir at the downstream end of said trough bottom opening with means for adjusting the position of said Weir.

2. A sand and stone interceptor according to claim 1, comprising an endless bucket chain serwng as a discharge device for said sand and stone and being arranged in said receptacle for the sand and stones.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,492,025 France Apr. 29, 1924 2,211,895 Hoyois Aug. 20, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 493,109 Germany Feb. 13, 1930 622,013 Germany Oct. 31, 1935 

